Friday, March 21, 2014

Patience is not a popular concept. When we’re confronted by anything that causes us to wait, we become angry. We fume. We tap our fingers impatiently. We groan about how we have to suffer through not being able to perform whatever task as soon as we would like. The world does not recognize the value of patience. You can see that in everything from instant messaging to instant microwave pizza. We all seem to have lost the perspective that patience is a virtue.

As godly young women, what should we do when we’re forced to wait? James 1:2-4 (NKJV) says, “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”

Count it all joy. That’s not exactly the easiest response to forced waiting. It definitely seems like waiting is the “testing of our faith,” when we start to become impatient! Yet, with Jesus, we can be patient. We can “count it all joy” and let patience perform its work in our lives.

“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!”

-Galatians 5:22-23, NLT (To see what the work of our sinful natures produces in our lives, check out Galatians 5:19-21. It’s really bad; a direct contrast to the fruit of the Spirit!)

You see, perfect patience is completely impossible without the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. With Jesus, we can always choose patience. Now, do we always? No, we usually choose impatience as the easiest response. Yet through the power of the Spirit, we can overcome the sinful desires of our old selves: even impatience! Luke 1:37, “For nothing is impossible with God.” So when you’re forced to wait, remember to choose patience! Choose to count it as joy and wait cheerfully with Jesus.